Chaeles m



(No Model.)

. C. M. FERRELL.

GAR ooUPLING. Y

Patented sep1;.21,188@.r

TVITESSES IJV'OR,l .g' ZM Vf.

UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES M. FERRELL, OF UTIOA, NEW YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 349,488, datedSeptember 21, 1886.

Application filed May 28, 1886. Serial No. 203,538. (No model.) l

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. FEREELL,

- a citizen of the United States, residing at Utica,

in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to automatic coupling devices for cars Where thelink is held in position to engagethe drawheads-as, forexample, Wherethe link is already fastened in one draw-head and it is desired toconnect another car to it.

The object of the invention is to simplify the construction of parts,avoid the use of springs, and to secure the entrance of thelink into thedraw-head at very short range of movement. A further object is toprovide uncoupling mechanism which will obviate the necessity of abrakeman going between the cars to manually adjust the link or thecoupling-pin.

Vith these objectsv in View my invention consists in the construction ofa car-coupling mechanism substantially as hereinafter particularly setforth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, in the several figures of which like partsare similarly designated, Figure l is a vertical section of a draw-headof my invention with the parts in position to receive a coupling-link.Fig. 2 is a'similar view with the link engaged. Fig. 3 is a front view;Fig. 4, a side view of the uncoupling device, and Fig. 5 a plan viewofthe latter.

The letter a designates a draw-head having the usual draw-bar, b, andflaring mouth c. This draw-head is provided with a vertical wall, d,standing up from its upper side, and adapted to bear against the frontsill or beam of the car under compression of the usual spring to serveas a bumper. In the bottom of the draw-head a cavity or slot, e, ismade, and on each side of4 this cavity and parallel with it are arrangedinclinesf, which serve as directors,in connection with the rear cu rved'wall, a,of the draw-head, to insure the proper entrance of the link intothe draw-head, and to the coupling devices, no matter from whatdirection it may come. In this slot e I secure a peculiarly-shapedtumbler, g, using for this ing the strain from its bolt to thedraw-head.

This feature is important, in that it enables me to use a lighter bolt,and the bolt is not bent out of line, and so rendered difficult ofvWithdrawal when a new tumbler is to be. insei-ted. This tumbler has acurved strikingsurface, j, against which the link hits in entering, andalso has the pin k, which engages the link, and against which the linkdraws. In a slot or cavity, Z, in the upper wall of the draw-head isarranged a dog, m, pivoted by a slot, n, upon a bolt, o, passedtransversely through the draw-head. This slot permits the dog to bearagainst the draw-head, and so removes the strain from the bolt, as andfor the same purpose as in the case of the tumbler. This dog has atail-piece, I), against which the pink strikes to lift it and thenpasses behind it, and thereafter as the link is drawn upon the said pincomes in contact with the inner face of said tail-piece, and is lockedby it to retain the link on it (the said pin) until the dog is forciblydisconnected from it. Y

As will be observed from the construction and arrangement of partsshown, there is but a minimum of movement allowed the link in mycoupling, and hence there is little or no slack toY be taken up when thetrain starts; hence I remove that source of damage hitherto hithertoincident to couplings as commonly constructed.

The uncoupling mechanism I prefer to use consists of a linger, q,provided with a squared transverse socket, as indicated by dotted lines,Fig. 5,which receives the squared ends of two shafts, r a", arrangedupon the platform of the car over the draw-head, crosswise thereof` andextending to the sides of the car. At their outer ends these shafts havehand-levers s s', which are weighted at one end, so as to assist thegravity of the finger in keeping it down. These hand-levers are providedWith lugs t t', which are adapted to be engaged with notched segmentalracks u a on the sides o o of the car to positively hold said levers,andconsequently the finger, in desired position. The linger q IOO isloosely engaged with the dog m, as seen in Fig. 2, and by raising andlowering said linger, by means of the hand-levers, the said dog iscorrespondingly operated. Now, if it be desired to operate the dog mfrom one or the other .side of the car and the lever on the oppositeside be engaged with the rack on that side, by simply pushing the leveron the operating side toward the side of the car the shaft r r on thatside will slip lengthwise in its bearings, and also in the socketedfinger,and push against the shaft on the other side and move itlongitudinally outward and disen gage its lever from the rack,.and sopermit the nger to be operated. (See dotted lines, Fig. 5.) rljheguard-rails w w on the racks prevent the levers from being thrownentirely out of their bearings.

The link rests 011 the inclinesf when in the draw-head, and as thepreponderance of weight in the tumbler is below its pivot and toward thefront said tumbler acts by gravity to discharge the link from thedraw-head as soon as the pin 7c is disengaged from its dog. The dog alsoby gravity assumes the locking position, and hence needs no spring orother device to hold or send it there.

It will be seen that as soon as the link strikes the surface j of thetumbler said tumbler rotates on its pivot backward, and at the same timeits pin la turns up and enters and engages the link. I use an ordinaryopen C (elongated O) link by preference.

In order to provide suitable abutting surface in the draw-head for thetumbler, I make a cavity, c, in the month of the draw-head to receivethe pin 7c when in the unlocked position, and upon each side of saidcavity and between the inclinesff, I construct the abutments f f, whichare curved on their rear faces to correspond with the heel g of thetumbler on each side of the pin L', and against these abutments saidheel bears when the coupling is in use for drawing. The strain or draftis thus placed upon the draw-head, instead of upon the bolt.

My coupling may be applied to cars without any special rearrangement oftheir construen tion, and,all its parts being readily renewable by eventhe most unskilliul, it can be applied and used very economically.

What I claim isl. A draw-head provided with a pivoted dog, and a pivotedtumbler, g, having a pin to engage the coupling-link, and an abuttingsurface which is struck by the entering link to rotate the tumbler andbring its pin into engagement with the link and with said pivoted dog`in said draw-head, and abutments fj", against which said tumblerbears,substan ti all y as described.

2. A draw-head, a tumbler pivoted in a cavity therein and adapted tobear against abutments f j" in thev drawhead and provided with alink-engaging pin, and a dog c0-operating with the pin of the tumbler toengage and hold a coupling-link, substantially as described.

3. A draw-head provided with a tumbler, g, pivoted in a cavity thereinand having a pinto engage the coupling-link, inclincs arranged on thesides of and parallel `with said cavity, abutments fj", against whichthe-said tumbler seats itself, and a locking-dog to cngage thevpin ofsaid tumbler, all combined substantially as described.

4. A car-coupling mechanism of the construction substantially as setforth, combined with uncoupling mechanism comprisinganger, g,longitudinally-movable shafts i' r', to operate said finger, and leverss s', connected to said shafts to operate them, substantially asdescribed.

5. The draw-head provided with the abut ments f f', combined with thepivoted tu1nbler adapted to bear against said abutments, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 17th day of May,A. D. 1886.

C. M. FERRELL. Vitnesses:

GEO. NV. Pos'r, F. J. NORTHROP.

